As I was pondering the latest loss of a great Truss Guy to “retirement” a thought began to rattle around in my head about all of the wonderful people I had a chance to work for, work with or simply enjoy a cocktail with over the years. Many of them retired or were retired, some we lost suddenly and others drifted out of the industry.
Those that I will consider here are the ones who made an impact in the component industry, but have never really been recognized properly.
Mike Bugbee
Mike and I have known each other longer than he remembers. I worked for Mike at Simpson Strong-Tie, but we had met several years before that when he invited me to participate in a focus group involving software. Mike is an incredible gentleman. He is extremely thoughtful before he speaks a word. Mike knows more people in the lumber, building materials and component industry than anyone I have ever met. His impact in the component industry is pretty great. He doesn’t ever talk about the things he has done, but some of us know. Mike single handedly taught me how to entertain component manufacturers. That is usually easily done by opening a bar tab, but more importantly he taught me how to listen and capture important information. The thing that he never spoke of and I learned on my own is that he was one of the people named on the patent for the very first truss to truss connector in the world. Each time a THA26 is specified or installed, people should thank Mike for his knowledge of and passion for the component industry. The THA26 was the mainstay connector for our industry for many years and is still commonly used today. Mike is one of those guys who speaks his mind and has a great deal of knowledge on many, many subjects. Mike Bugbee will be greatly missed in the day to day business of the industry. I will also miss his “Bugbeeisms”. Mike always had a way of turning a phrase that was entertaining and enlightening.
Abner Yoder
Mr. Yoder is one of the finest human beings I have ever met or had the opportunity to engage in conversation. Mr. Yoder had a huge impact on this industry, but has not been recognized for all he did mainly because he was considered a regional manufacturer. Mr. Yoder managed to build a great business that covered more than 5 states from Florida to Missouri and all points in between. If he was regional then my guess is that everyone would like to be considered so. He was the forerunner to all of the big component corporations that now exist. Mr. Yoder’s passion for the industry made his promotion of components easy. He was out there converting builders for site built roofs to components since the beginning. Every other component manufacturer in the “region” should tip their hat to the man who made selling trusses easier.
Harold LaValley
Mr. LaValley is another one of those “regional” manufacturers. He covered the whole northeast and made marketing trusses his. Mr. LaValley took ownership of his market and was always innovating the product line he offered. When a new product, I-Joists, came out and most could not see the value, Mr. LaValley became the largest dealer in his region at the time. Every step of the way he hired talented people and provided them a mission. The mission was to grow the industry. He is another gem of a man who has never been acknowledged for his persistence and great support of the industry.
Tom Whatley
Tom is one of those guys who was always content to fly under the radar. At one time Tom owned the largest truss plant in the state of Texas, and that is saying something. Tom’s truss plant, ABO, was recognized as the state of the art in the truss industry in the 80’s. Tom, never content, was always looking for another way to innovate. At the time, ABO was using a truckload of connector plates every week. Tom stared thinking, “I can do that”. Tom did the research, hired the right people, invested in the equipment and started stamping truss plates. Little did he know at the time that an oil market crash would end the existence of ABO and spawn Eagle Metal Products. That was 30 years ago and Tom never looked back. Tom did something that took a great deal of perseverance. He started a plate company. He built the company and it has survived when so many others have gone. Tom’s great passion for all things “truss” is the force that made Eagle Metal the enduring company it has become.
While this is just a sample of the many, many people I will miss, my hope is to continue bringing my thoughts about all the people who made this industry great and made me proud to be a part of it. Enjoy retirement.